Writing for Oscar !



FOCUS:
Writing

AGE:
All

LEVEL:
Intermediate
and
low
advanced



MATERIALS


1.
Video/DVD
of
a
recent
movie.




2.

A
CD
of
soundtrack
music.
Search
Amazon
music
for
“movie
soundtracks.”




3.
CD
player.



STEPS


1.

Discuss
the
important
role
played
by
music
in
the
movies.

Often
we
view
movies,
totally

unaware
of
the
way
music
heightens
our
emotions,
adds
intrigue,
drama
and
suspense
to
a
movie

plot.


Play
a
short
clip
from
the
movie
to
illustrate
this
point.



2.
Divide
class
into
small
groups
of
three
to
four
students.




3.

Play
a
few
seconds
of
the
CD
containing
the
movie
soundtrack
music.




4.

Have
groups
brainstorm,
then
write
a
portion
of
a
movie
script
that
could
go
with
the
music

they
just
heard.

Play
the
CD
soundtrack
segment
a
few
times
while
groups
meet.
Groups
will

need
to
determine
the
exact
moment
at
which
the
music
should
be
played
in
their
particular

script.
Allow
30
to
45
minutes
for
groups
to
write
their
scripts.





5.

Have
groups
take
turns
reading
and
acting
out
their
movie
scripts.

The
instructor
or
a

member
of
the
group
should
play
the
soundtrack
segment
at
the
time
specified
by
the
group.





6.
Have
the
class
vote
on
their
favorite
movie
script
writers.

In
fact,
they
can
even
have
their
own

Academy
Award
ceremony
complete
with
a
home‐made
“Oscar”
!





Complimentary materials from –

www.forefrontpublishers.com

From a book manuscript on “Using Music to Teach English” by Suzanne Medina. Duplication of these materials is permitted
if copyright and contact information is retained on copies. Only publication is restricted. Copyright © 2009 by Suzanne
L. Medina All rights reserved. No part of this document may be published without written permission. Contact: FAX (310)
514-0396 ForefrontPub@ca.rr.com
 Silent Movies
FOCUS:
Writing

AGE:
All


LEVEL:

Intermediate
or
low
advanced






MATERIALS


1.
DVD
of
an
age‐appropriate
musical
(e.g.,
“High
School
Musical,”

film
version
of
a
Broadway

musical,
Pop
music
video,

opera).









STEPS



1.
Tell
students
that
you
will
play
a
portion
of
a
music
video,
yet
without
sound.

Their
task
is
to

write
song
lyrics
for
the
“silent”
music
video.



2.
Organize
students
into
small
groups
of
3
to
4
students.





3.
Have
student
groups
work
on
their
original
song
lyrics.
Play
the
video
repeatedly
without

sound.
This
will
allow
students
to
synchronize
their
lyrics
with
the
video.
Keep
playing
the
video

segment

(without
sound)
as
many
times
as
students
need
for
you
to
play
it.




4.
Make
certain
to
circulate
so
that
students
have
an
opportunity
to
ask
your
questions
regarding

their
English
grammar
and
vocabulary.




5.

Have
groups
sing
their
lyrics
for
the
class
while
the
silent
video
is
played.




6.
Have
the
class
vote
to
determine
which
group
wrote
the
best
music
lyrics.








Complimentary materials from –

www.forefrontpublishers.com

From a book manuscript on “Using Music to Teach English” by Suzanne Medina. Duplication of these materials is permitted
if copyright and contact information is retained on copies. Only publication is restricted. Copyright © 2009 by Suzanne
L. Medina All rights reserved. No part of this document may be published without written permission. Contact: FAX (310)
514-0396 ForefrontPub@ca.rr.com





Half The Story



FOCUS:
Writing

AGE:
All

LEVEL:
High
beginning
and
low
intermediate



MATERIALS


1.
Two
CDs
of
songs
which
tells
a
story.
Country
western
melodies
are
very
good
for
this.

2.
Handout
of
song
#
2
lyrics
(Do
not
include
all
of
the
song
lyrics,
only
the
first
half.

)



3.
Transparency
of
the
handout


STEPS


1.
Distribute
the
handouts
of
the
first
song.
Show
the
transparency
to
the
entire
class.
Make

certain
students
comprehend
unfamiliar
vocabulary.

Place
any
new
vocabulary
on
a
“Word

Wall.”




2.
Play
the
CD
while
students
read
the
lyrics.
Afterwards,
ask
several
comprehension
questions

to
make
certain
that
students
fully
understand
the
song.
Play
the
song
a
second
time.




3.
Have
the
entire
class
collaborate
as
they
decide
how
the
story
will
end.

Write
each
sentence

on
the
blackboard
or
transparency.

The
class
has
now
written
the
conclusion
of
the
story.




4.
Now
that
it
is
clear
what
is
expected,
repeat
this
process
with
the
second
song.
Repeat
steps
1

to
2,
then
for
Step
3,
ask
pairs
or
groups
of
3‐4
students
to
write
their
own
story
endings.







5.
Allow
enough
time
for
students
to
finish
the
task.
This
may
require
more
than
one
class

meeting.

Circulate
so
that
you
can
provide
assistance
and
direction.






6.
Have
students
share
their
stories
with
other
pairs
or
groups.





7.

After
15
minutes,
ask
volunteers
to
read
their
stories
to
the
entire
class.


Also.
ask
students
to

tell
you
which
groups
wrote
a
particularly
novel
set
of
lyrics.
Then
ask
those
groups
to
perform.






Complimentary materials from –

www.forefrontpublishers.com

From a book manuscript on “Using Music to Teach English” by Suzanne Medina. Duplication of these materials is permitted
if copyright and contact information is retained on copies. Only publication is restricted. Copyright © 2009 by Suzanne
L. Medina All rights reserved. No part of this document may be published without written permission. Contact: FAX (310)
514-0396 ForefrontPub@ca.rr.com